Novelty, however, is only one small hurdle to overcome. In addition to being novel, the examiner must also be convinced that your invention is "unobvious." This means that at the time you came up with your invention, it would have been considered unobvious to a person skilled in the technology (called "art") involved in your creation. Unobviousness is best shown by new and unexpected, surprising, or far superior results, when compared to previous inventions and knowledge ("prior art") in the particular area you're concerned with.

Patent Search Engines

• IBM Patent Server
• Questel Orbit US Patent Abstract Search
• STO's Patent Search System

Engineering and Computers

• Software Patent Institute
• Electrical Engineering Circuits Archive
• Journal of Mechanical Design
• Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering in Huntsville
• CASE Tool Index
• ASEE Clearinghouse for Engineering Education
• Washington University St Louis - Department of Civil Engineering
• Shock and Vibration Information Analysis Center
• NASA Technical Report Server

• Biotechnology Information Center
• Biotechnology Patents
• The Genome Database
• Primer on Molecular Genetics
• BioTech Information
• Biocellerator Search

• Chemical Patents Plus
• The Royal Society of Chemistry
• UIC Chemistry
• Web Elements

• The Argus Clearinghouse
• COMFIND: A Worldwide Directory to Businesses
• The Law Library at the University of Indiana
• Legal Resources OnLine
• The McKinley Internet Directory - Magellan
• The American Bar Association
• The Virtual Law Library
• "Patently Absurd"
• A Computer Term Dictionary

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